Take Me to the Chantry
by SmuttyPirate
Summary: Lothering was a peaceful enough, though too quiet, little town. Bethany Hawke was well aware of this, and was complacent with it until she met a certain redhead Sister of the Chantry. Beautiful, mysterious, and possessing skills completely unlike a Sister, Bethany finds herself drawn to the alluring Orlesian. Takes place shortly before the Blight; set in Origins.
1. First Rebellion

_**Note: Bethany and Leliana mention each other a few times in the Dragon Age series. Apparently they were quite good friends and I can't help but ship it; I mean why else would Bethany risk being discovered by the Templars so she could hang out with Leliana? I think this is another pairing that doesn't get enough attention, so enjoy the story! Next chapter will hopefully be posted soon!**_

The slam of the Chantry door was a thunderous boom that resounded throughout the chapel. Bethany cringed at the sound, blanching slightly as she expected a furious Sister to draw from one of the pews and reprimand her for making so much noise in the house of the Maker.

After a few tense seconds of waiting, she breathed a sigh of relief as no sound came from the Chantry despite her own shaky breathing. Deeming that she was safe from any Sisters, the mage quietly slipped through the chapel before seating herself at the front pew, the wood giving a small groan as she seated herself upon it. She wasn't exactly sure why she had come to this place; it was certainly no place for an apostate, a fact that she was acutely aware of, but a fact that wasn't a particular concern of her own at the moment. No, the mage was too busy taking in the absolute _silence_ of the hall; it was whole, surrounding her, bliss. The silence was a more than welcome reprieve from the noise that she had been putting up with all night.

Mother had been terribly stressed all night, worrying over Carver and Marian. The siblings had been out long past their curfew (Bethany knew where they were, but of course she said nothing of it) prompting their mother to go on a spree. Pacing about their home so rapidly that Bethany was surprised that she hadn't worn a ditch into their wooden floor, she would occasionally stop to pull the drape aside and peer out into the night; as if the missing siblings would appear in the home if she completed the obsessive action an absurd amount of times. The woman had burst into the room Bethany shared with Carver for the umpteenth time that night, voicing her worries to the young mage and praising her on what a good girl she was for not staying out all night, worrying her poor mother and doing Maker knows what, like her siblings did.

Bethany had forced a smile at her mother, her light brown eyes looking over the pages of her book at the woman with forced patience. She had been growing irritated at her mother's actions, but she lied easily with her eyes. She was eighteen years old, the same age as Carver, and he was out having fun with a girl that he was sweet on, while she sat here, reading a book and watching her mother have a fit. Marian was doing the same, spending time with a girl she was sweet on; oh the fit Mother would have if she knew Marian was fooling around with a girl. She had always been adamant about Bethany or Marian giving her grandchildren. She wanted Carver too as well, of course, but she obsessed over Bethany and Marian's potential children the most.

Mother's pacing had intensified as Bethany slammed her book shut and tossed it on her bed, suddenly sick of the words on the page; the walls felt like they were closing in and Mother's erratic pacing squeaking across the wooden floor were all becoming too overbearing on her senses. The warm air was suddenly too much, as if Mother's anxiety had actually pooled into the air and made it chokingly, unbearably thick. Emerging quietly from her room and drifting to the door of their home, Leandra's wide eyes had followed her. "Where are you going? Bethany, you can't go out now! Marian and Carver still haven't returned!"

The mage had sighed in irritation, clenching her jaw and not even turning to face the woman before she wrenched the wooden door open and flew out into the night. "I just need to get out for a bit, Mother!" She shouted as she sprinted into the cool night, the moon and stars casting an ethereal light over her fleeing form.

And with that she had found herself flying into the Chantry as fast as her feet would carry her, Mother's calls chasing her the entire time she sprinted through the town. But the mage didn't care, didn't stop sprinting past homes and villagers until she had reached the building and slammed herself inside.

And that was where she remained now, sitting on a pew and contemplating the night and her family. Leaning back on the pew with a sigh and absentmindedly calling on her mana, she brought forth a small amount of fire in her right hand. Light brown eyes flickering in the flames, she tossed it to her left hand, then back to her right, then to her left again, her eyes never leaving the little ball of warmth.

_Playing with fire in the Chantry? Are you insane?! You could burn this place down, or more likely, get caught! _Her conscience was screaming at her, but she was too detached to listen to it. Her mind was not thinking of how stupid and irresponsible her current actions were, she didn't care; she was thinking of her family. Marian and Carver were alive, being careless; and she was living, but not alive. Constant worry of being discovered as a mage forced her to keep others at a distance. Most of her friends were people she had met through her siblings, but they clearly saw her as Marian's little sister, Carver's twin, not Bethany; not her own person.

Bethany could only think of one person who saw her as Bethany, not Carver's twin, or Marian's little sister, or even Leandra's daughter; Sister Leliana.

The Orlesian woman was new to the Chantry in Lothering. One rather unremarkable day, a day that Bethany had been sent on a tedious task to go to the market to buy eggs with Marian, had suddenly turned into a day she would never forget when she spotted the beautiful redhead in her flawless Sister robes entering the Chantry. She had been here for about a month now, and prior to seeing the gorgeous woman, Bethany had given the Chantry a wide berth.

She had memorized the faces of everyone associated with the Chantry in Lothering, so she knew who to avoid, and this woman's did not match any of them.

The redhead had frozen as she pulled the door to the Chantry open, almost like she knew that Bethany was watching her as she walked past with Marian. Whatever Marian had been droning on about faded to insignificant gibberish as the Sister's blue eyes looked up to meet the mage's of light chocolate. She felt her cheeks burn as this perfect woman looked up at her. Her expression was friendly, her eyes warm and soft like liquid sapphire, her full red lips upturned in a smile, but there was a strange sadness behind it, like the woman was recovering from some unspeakable wound.

This wasn't all that had fully enraptured Bethany however; it was that the woman didn't look at Marian. She looked at Bethany. The pretty blue orbs didn't pass over her to settle on Marian and crush everything the mage was feeling; they didn't even pass over Marian at all as they focused raptly on Bethany.

That moment when their eyes met, Bethany felt like someone had shoved a rod of lightning in her, the way her heart kicked into fourth gear and set her blood pounding throughout her body, making her skin flush. Her arm jerked out and up almost spastically, nearly smacking Marian in the head in her haste to wave at the Sister with the pretty sapphires for eyes that had stricken her with their lightning. Bethany felt a huge grin plastered over her face, and she didn't even care that Marian had been forced to cut off her gibberish with a cry to dodge the mage's flailing arm.

The perfect Sister had laughed, far enough away that, sadly, Bethany couldn't hear it, but she saw it on the woman's face. Her smile grew wider, showing even, white teeth as she laughed, the sadness and pain behind her previous smile dissipating in that moment of carelessness. She returned the wave, giving Bethany a genuine smile before hesitantly entering the Chantry.

That moment had only lasted a few seconds, but it meant the world to the mage. Without those few seconds, she never would've met Leliana, her best friend.

Bethany smiled as the scene replayed in her head; she still absentmindedly tossed the ball of fire from one hand to the other as she thought of Leliana, feeling warmth in her chest and blissfully unaware that the Chantry doors had opened and silently closed behind her.

"Playing with fire in the Chantry?" It was that gentle, lilting voice with a beautiful accent that could be easily recognized as Orlesian; that voice that turned the mage's bones to jelly.

Bethany's light brown eyes went wide and she clenched the fire in her fist, extinguishing it with a hiss as she flew out of the heavy pew, knocking it back a few inches with the force of her body propelling out of it. She spun around to face who she knew would be standing there, her face blanching as she knew she had been caught. This was it; Leliana knew what she truly was. "Leliana! Wh-what fire? There's no fire!"

The Sister arched a perfect eyebrow at her and Bethany crumbled before the Orlesian even had a chance to say anything. She grabbed Leliana by her shoulders, her robes soft under her fingers and her shoulders hard with agile muscle. "Please Leliana, I'm begging you! Don't get the Templars! I swear to the Maker that I'll do whatever you want!"

To her surprise, Leliana began laughing. It wasn't mocking or malicious, just the type of laugh that Leliana gave when Bethany did something that tickled her for whatever reason. She trailed off, smiling at the mage before placing her hands over Bethany's that were still clinging to her shoulders for dear life. Her hands were warm and soft, yet her fingers had small calluses. Usually it was only warriors that had calluses from toting swords or daggers or bows; so why did this gentle Sister have them? The thought was fleeting, and Bethany was snapped out of the temporary reverie as Leliana spoke. "Be calm, Bethany. I always thought there was something about you; a reason that your family is so nervous around the Templars."

The mage looked away from the gentle blue sapphires that were the Orlesian's eyes. She suddenly felt dread settling deep into the pit of her stomach; was this going to change things between the mage and the beautiful sister of the Chantry? Would Leliana no longer wish to speak to her because the Templars deemed the magic that she possessed dangerous? "So…if you aren't going to call the Templars, are you going to think I'm an abomination and never speak to me again?"

Leliana gave a small sigh, gently a placing a hand on the mage's shoulder. Bethany looked up at her, her eyes tracing the sympathetic expression on the Orlesian's pretty face. "Bethany, I know what it is like to be…judged for something that is no fault of your own; something that you have no power over. The feeling is a rather new enemy of mine that I grapple with constantly. I would not subject you to the "mercy" of the Templars."

Leliana's usually gentle voice and expression were suddenly intense as she spoke; she caught it as she stopped speaking before slipping back into her cool demeanor. Bethany noticed the normally controlled woman's sudden passion, and she nearly asked her why she reacted the way that she had, but the mage just opted to throw her arms around the Sister and hug her tightly, infinitely relieved that she understood. She smelled incredibly sweet, like sugar, roses, candy, and Andraste's Grace. Leliana's robes were soft under her cheek, and the feeling of the Orlesian's body pressing against her own as Leliana pulled her closer to return the hug made Bethany's heart hammer against her ribs. "Thank you, Leliana. You're the only person outside of my family to know this; quite ironic really, considering you're a Sister of the Chantry."

Her lilting giggle filled the mage's ears. "Technically I am associated with the Chantry, but technically I'm not a full Sister."

Bethany hesitantly pulled back from the hug slightly to meet her sapphire gaze. "What do you mean?"

Leliana's eyes traced the mage's face as she spoke."Well, I'm a Lay Sister. I have more freedoms than Sisters of the Chantry. I do not take as many vows as a Sister, and my duties vary slightly."

"You don't take the same vows?"

Leliana grinned slightly, a barely noticeable upward twitch of her full lips. "Most notably the vow of chastity."

Bethany felt her cheeks flush dark red. She was suddenly aware that she and Leliana were still locked in a partial hug, her arms around Leliana's shoulders while the Sister's were draped about her waist. To anyone walking in it would've looked like an embrace. The mage's mind suddenly flashed to an image of another Sister walking in and misreading the situation. Bethany suddenly gave a nervous little giggle and looked back up at Leliana. Were their faces this close a moment ago? Were Leliana's eyes that…hungry? Were they staring at her lips like that before? Why would she mention the vow of chastity? Bethany felt heat pool in her cheeks and at the pit of her stomach, the overwhelming desire to kiss her best friend suddenly clouding her mind.

The Orlesian's sapphires suddenly flashed back up to the Fereldan's eyes of light cocoa, and she blushed even deeper before using sitting on the pew as an excuse to pull away. The pew was knocked askew and out of line from the others due to how suddenly she had propelled away from it when Leliana had joined her in the Chantry just a few minutes ago. Her body didn't want her to pull away, but her mind was muddled. Leliana was her best friend and a Sister of the Chantry, technically a Lay Sister, but still a Sister. A mage and a Sister? How wrong could you get?

The aforementioned Lay Sister sat beside her, crossing one leg over the other and looking over at Bethany. Leliana opened her mouth to say something, but Bethany spoke quickly to change the subject. "Where are the other Sisters?"

Leliana gave a small hum of thought before answering the mage's inquiry. "Tonight was a night of choice. The Sisters could spend time with any nearby family, or go to the tavern to hold a small service for the patrons there. I was at the tavern, but I grew tired of my words falling on deaf ears." Her voice was a bit huskier and it sent a chill down the mage's spine. She was afraid to look back up at the Sister; afraid that she would see those hungry sapphires and full red lips begging for her to meet them with her own.

The mage took a shaky breath, prompting Leliana to look at her with concern. "Bethany, are you okay? You're very flushed." The Sister gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

The Fereldan felt herself blush even deeper and she tilted her head down slightly in an attempt to let her hair hide her face. She couldn't push away her desire to kiss Leliana, and the physical contact didn't help. She had always had a crush on the Orlesian, from the moment she had locked eyes with her when she first saw the redhead entering the Chantry; it was the reason she had talked her mother into letting her go to every service. She had always met Leliana in an open setting; daylight with other people around, or, of course, at services. She had never been in such an…intimate setting with her; the Chantry was dark except for the glow of the candles scattered about the room, making the whole place glow ethereally. The beautiful, dim lighting only made Leliana more perfect.

Bethany stammered out a response, refusing to let herself look up at Leliana. "I'm okay, I should head home really. Mother has been worrying about Marian and Carver all night, and I'm exhausted." It wasn't completely a lie; there was no doubt that Mother was now freaking out about her as well. Bethany had completely lost track of time, she wouldn't be surprised if her siblings were home by now. Most importantly, she had to get away from her lust for Leliana.

She climbed off the pew, Leliana standing with her. The mage paused to straighten the pew, aided by the Sister. She turned to head to the door, but paused as Leliana's musical voice called out after her. "Goodnight Bethany; sweet dreams." Her voice was playful and husky, like she could see right through the mage and knew she was running from the Orlesian. She smirked widely, her sapphire eyes lidded mischievously. Bethany could have sworn the Sister winked at her, but she was having trouble believing her any of her senses at this point.

"You too; goodnight Sister," the mage managed to stammer, her face somehow managing to flush an even deeper shade of crimson as she quickly turned away from Leliana. As Bethany wrenched open the door to the Chantry and fled out into the cool night, the stars shining on her as she made her way towards her home, the Orlesian's musical giggle drifted after her as if carried by the cool, gentle breeze.


	2. Sweet Dreams

As slowly and quietly as humanly possible, Bethany eased open the door to the Hawke's small home. Biting her lip and begging the Maker to keep the door silent, the aging wood creaked loudly, as if to scoff in the mage's face; the squeak that the door gave managed to rouse the Hawke family's slumbering Mabari. The canine, whom Marian had affectionately dubbed Zoran, began barking loudly. His bulk pounded across the wooden floor, nails scraping loudly on the wood as his thunderous bark reverberated in the mage's ears.

Bethany cursed under her breath as rapid footsteps creaked across the floor, originating from her mother's room. Sure enough, the door was wrenched open the rest of the way, and a lantern was shoved in the mage's face. Bethany blinked rapidly and narrowed her eyes in an attempt to lessen the intensity of the light on her sensitive eyes. As her pupils adjusted she took in the sight of her mother standing before her, clad in a baggy white sleeping gown, her usually gentle eyes furious beneath her cloud of her gray hair, tussled from sleep. "Where in the void have you been all night girl? You were gone for two hours! Marian and Carver got home before you did!"

Pushing the invasive light of the lantern away from her light brown eyes, Bethany sighed. Zoran pushed past Mother and brushed against the mage's leg, shoving his head under her hand in an attempt to get the mage to scratch his ears. The mage crossed her arms and scowled at the dog; if the creature had not made so much noise, then she could've snuck back into her home with no fuss. The Mabari looked up at her with innocent eyes, begging for her to pet him as if he had helped the mage. Looking away from the canine, she met her mother's eyes. "I was in no trouble, Mother. I visited Sister Leliana at the Chantry, it was no big deal."

Her mother gave a deep sigh that made her shoulders sag and rolled her eyes, turning away to lead the mage into the house. Bethany followed her mother and nudged the door shut with the back of her boot; the Mabari made his way past the mage and back over to the pile of blankets in the corner that served as his bedding. The canine curled up in the bedding, watching Bethany with curious brown eyes.

Mother turned back to Bethany, fixing her with a scolding look. "Was it really necessary for you to bother that girl at this hour? She was probably asleep!"

The mage clenched her jaw slightly. "I was not bothering her, Mother. Sister Leliana was part of a late service at the tavern but she left early. And how could I bother her? She is my best friend!" Her temper flared at her Mother's words. Her mother always thought that she was bothering the beautiful redhead; if she wasn't bothering her, then she was distracting her from her studies at the Chantry. In her mother's eyes, Bethany was always disturbing the Orlesian; clearly the aging woman didn't know the beautiful Sister that well.

Seeming to ignore every detail other than the local tavern, Mother's eyes shot wide. "The tavern? Were you two at the tavern? Were you drinking?"

A sigh of exasperation escaped the mage's lips. "Mother, I do not smell of alcohol. And I've no desire to act like a drunken fool. I thought you knew me better than that."

Her mother brushed off the comment and continued the argument at a different angle. "I am proud of you for avoiding debauchery; but you are playing with forces far more dangerous than any trouble that Marian or Carver could get into. I still do not like you being friends with this Chantry girl. She is a kind and wonderful girl, there is no doubt about that, but she is a member of the Chantry. No matter her friendships, her loyalty lies with the Chantry and the Templars. Friend or not, she would be forced to report you if your magic was ever exposed to her."

Bethany bristled, her temper flaring again as her mother attacked Leliana's loyalty to the mage. She felt her mana flaring to her fingertips due to her sudden spark of anger, but she did not call upon it. "I am very aware of this. You act as if I am a child, too dense to make my own decisions. Sometimes I wonder if you do not like my friendship with Leliana simply because you are scared that she is not interested in Marian or Carver, so they aren't there to breathe down my neck and make me look like a child in need of constant supervision. Does it really come as such a surprise to you that someone is interested in being around me because I am myself, and not your daughter, or Carver's twin, or Marian's little sister? Someone who looks upon me as an adult and not a child?" Realizing her voice had been rising with the force of her anger, Bethany clenched her jaw hard, glaring at her mother. Some little random voice in her semi-conscience hoped that she hadn't woken her siblings with her rare burst of rage.

Mother blanched and looked away from her daughter, seemingly hurt by her words. The aging woman lowered the lantern and avoided the mage's eyes as she turned towards her room, her shoulders sagging as if she was ashamed. "I did not mean for my words to sound that way; I can see why she values your friendship, Bethany. You are an amazing girl…now please, get to bed. If we wish to be at her service tomorrow, we will have to wake up at a decent hour." Without waiting to hear what her daughter's response would be, the aging woman shuffled into her room and quietly shut the door behind herself. Bethany could see the light of the lantern flitting from beneath the door for a brief moment before being extinguished.

The mage stood there for a minute utterly baffled that she had just shut her mother down like that. The woman was notorious among the Hawke siblings for her ability to keep an argument or chastisement going for hours; and Bethany had caused her to clam up her finger-wagging in about five minutes. Full of shock, and a bit of pride at her ability to stand up to her mother, the mage quietly slipped through the house, the wood giving tiny squeaks and creaks under her light boots, before slipping into the room that she shared with Carver. The door swung shut behind her, the latch catching with a small click.

Lacking the energy to change into her bedclothes, Bethany toed her way out of her boots before she climbed into the bunk above Carver's. She gave a sigh of relief as she pulled the coverlets over herself. Closing her eyes, she could feel the Fade pulling her into unconsciousness…until Carver's voice popped the bubble that was her relaxation. "That was pretty intense, sister. Not even Marian can get Mother to stop her griping that fast; or make her feel ashamed about it."

Bethany felt a bit of irritation rise at her brother's sudden interruption, but she ignored it until it ebbed. The mage just wanted to go to sleep; she was emotionally and mentally exhausted. She wasn't used to being flirted with (at least she was almost positive that the Orlesian had been flirting) by her best friend and being screamed at by her mother in the same night; all the excitement was quite draining when it was all said and done. "Thanks Carver."

Just when Bethany thought that her twin had drifted into the Fade, a little giggle came from the bunk beneath her own. "So…what exactly had you and Sister Leliana out so late? Did you have her praising the Maker? Or was it the other way around?"

The mage's semi-sleep clouded mind didn't catch the suggestive tone to Carver's voice, or the double entendre. She twisted her features with confusion in the darkness of the room. "What? She's a Sister; of course she praises the Maker."

Carver snorted with muffled laughter. His sister assumed that he had covered his mouth or shoved his face in the pillow. He spoke again after his giggling fit passed. "Okay, clearly you didn't get what I meant. So, what did you guys do?"

Bethany fought back the urge to sigh. She didn't understand Carver's interest in what she was doing with Leliana; the mage just wanted to get some damn sleep. "We talked."

"That's it? What'd you talk about?"

That woke Bethany up a little. _Oh nothing interesting; she just swore not to turn me in for being an apostate after she caught me playing with a fireball. Then I blabbered like an idiot for an excuse to run away because I was overcome with the sudden urge to ravage her mouth and beg her to take me right there, in the middle of the Chantry. _"She was just telling me about the service they were holding at the tavern, but she grew tired of her words falling upon the deaf ears of the drunks there."

Carver groaned and shifted beneath her; he sounded almost disappointed. "Okay, okay. Get some sleep, innocent sister."

Bethany sighed with relief as Carver's line of questioning finally stopped. She was too tired to realize or even care what her brother had thought she had been doing with the beautiful redhead all night. All that the mage's mind could say was "sleep."

And with that, sleep she did. The Fade drew her in, allowing her to finally rest.

…

As the mage slept, she dreamt; but surprisingly her dreams were not plagued with the direct temptations and threats of demons. Instead, she was in Lothering, wandering aimlessly about the town as if searching for something. There were no villagers in the streets; there was no one to be seen at all. The whole town was empty, giving the usually warm, homely village a sense of abandonment and detachment. The mage began to panic a bit as she ran through the town, bursting into houses, looking for someone, anyone at all. This dream had the strange surreal quality of the Fade, but this machination, whether it had been created by demons or by her own mind, was particularly intense.

She could feel her boots sink into the mud that was the streets of Lothering, the dirt that made the roads had softened and become pliable as if it had recently rained. She could smell the earthy muck, and some sort of flowers. Was that…roses and Andraste's Grace? Sugar too? The mage instantly recognized the scent of her beautiful Orlesian Chantry Sister, Leliana. The scent was slightly off, as was the scent of many things in the Fade; as if this copy of Thedas had been sitting about too long and had become musty or smudged with some sort of contaminant. However, Bethany couldn't care that the scent of her best friend had been warped by the Fade; she was too happy to finally see someone else, and made ecstatic by the fact that it was Leliana that was trapped in this otherwise empty copy of Lothering with her. Even though this was just a Fade produced copy of the redhead, Bethany didn't care.

A flash of red darted towards the Chantry, an unmistakable lilting giggle emanating from the blur of warm colors. Bethany laughed too, the strange quality of the dream falling away from her as she spotted the Orlesian rounding a corner, her angelic face peaking around the corner, enhanced by a mischievous smirk, but she ducked around the corner as the mage grew closer. Bethany playfully gave chase, her boots making small sucking sounds as they were pulled out of the mud. "Wait for me, Leliana!"

She chased the giggling Sister all the way through the village until the redhead finally slowed as she reached the front of the Chantry. She turned to face Bethany, doubled over slightly from laughter, yet her pose held a hint of mischievousness, making the Sister even more appealing. Her eyes were that gorgeous sapphire, warm like liquid, playful and giving promises Bethany couldn't understand, but promises that excited her nonetheless. The Sister brought her right hand up, elegant fingers beckoning the mage to herself. "Come and get me, Bethany."

Her voice was low and husky, like it was last night in the Chantry. It sounded like liquid silk coming off of the Orlesian's tongue in her musical accent. Bethany liked the way she had husked her name. A tingle shooting down the mage's spine, she treaded towards the Sister as quickly as she could, but the mud seemed to get thicker, and it felt oddly like the mud was holding her back from her desire for the Orlesian. Frustration growing, Bethany treaded harder, but it seemed to make the mud tug even harder at her boots, seemingly urgent and unyielding. She looked up at Leliana with pleading eyes, silently urging the Sister to help pull her from the mud.

But the Orlesian didn't move from her beckoning position and it struck the mage as odd, almost robotic. Leliana would help her; it was just in her nature to help another who was struggling. "Come Bethany, don't you wish to join me in the Chantry?" Leliana still used that husky voice, but her face had changed a bit, her eyes seemingly sharper, the liquid sapphire suddenly hardening. The Sister shifted from her beckoning stance finally, placing her hands on her hips like she was suddenly frustrated.

The mage treaded harder, the mud nearly reaching the top of her knee high boots by now. She made a grimace of irritation and looked urgently at the Sister. Leliana's hands had drifted to the throat of her robes now, tugging at the button there and popping it cleanly off instead of taking the time to undo it with her long fingers. "Perhaps you need more…motivation?" Another pop, another button flying off and landing in the mud. Her expression was teasing, lusty; but there was something off about it, like her facial features had blurred slightly.

…

"Wakey wakey! Eggs and bakey!" Carver's grating voice sliced through Bethany's dream with the force of a sword through butter. The sudden racket made the mage jump hard and bolt upright in the twist that was her blankets; she must've been tossing and turning last night, her mind noted absentmindedly as she looked down at the pool of cloth. She panted slightly, noting that her clothes were sticking uncomfortably to her body with sweat.

Her light brown eyes shifted over to settle on Carver's, the spitting image of her own. "Sweet Maker, Carver; was it necessary to scream in my ear like that?"

The young man looked at her innocently, and for some reason it reminded the mage of the look that Zoran had given her last night after his thunderous barking woke up Mother. "Well, shaking you didn't work. I had to get you up somehow, if you want to make it to the Chantry service today; which, of course you do." He smirked at her before he disappeared back to the bunk beneath her own.

Bethany looked at the blank space where his face had been a moment ago. "Well yes, obviously; my best friend shall be there." Why had her brother said it like there was some hidden, scandalous reasoning beneath her desire to go to the Chantry? The dream she had been having just a few heartbeats ago flashed into her mind, still fresh and crisp with every detail. The image of what was about to happen in that dream made her cheeks flush with color, and she looked towards the wall as if hiding her face from someone, even though no one could see her.

Her twin's voice floated up to her ears from his bunk. "So, no nightmares last night? No demons or anything? Your thrashing didn't wake me up at all; that rarely ever happens, you being so still like that."

Looking down at her blankets, Bethany noted that they were twisted slightly, but they did not hang halfway off the bed, nor were they kicked to the floor. They looked…like a normal person's. Normally, she thrashed so aggressively in her sleep due to the tormenting from demons that she would send her blankets scattering everywhere; but last night had been relatively peaceful. "No Carver…no nightmares." The simple realization of the truth of that statement made a smile pull over her lips.

His face popped alongside her bedding again, eyeing her as if trying to solve some great mystery. "That rarely ever happens. But you're all sweaty and flushed," he paused for a moment to smirk, his voice becoming suggestive and his eyes mischievous. He cocked a dark eyebrow at her, "Wet dream, huh? Let me guess…Leliana?"

The mage's face went blood red, but she couldn't determine if it was from the fact that he had guessed correctly (partially; he had woken her up before the dream could become wet), or if it was from the sheer shock of his vulgarity. She swatted at him, but her twin dipped beneath the bed before her palm could connect with his boyish face. He chuckled loudly as he dropped to his bed. "Carver! That couldn't be farther from the truth!"

Her twin opened his mouth to say something, but the door to their room opened and Marian popped her head in, taking in the sight of the twins still laying in their bunk beds. "Will you two get up and get ready? Mother is about to blow a gasket; you know how she worries about being late."

Bethany nodded dutifully, Carver giving a groan of irritation and giving the eldest Hawke sibling a sarcastic "Aye Captain!"

Marian ducked away from the door just in time for their mother to come barreling in, toting a frilly blue dress with her. The aging woman's face was twisted up like a child's on their birthday when they are anticipating the opening of gifts. "Oh Bethany! You have to wear this beautiful dress to service today! I saw it at the market, and I thought it would look just darling on you! You'd look like a little princess!"

The dress was absolutely dreadful. It was a sky blue silk, the color quite attractive really, but it was festooned with ruffles. The aforementioned design went from beneath the breast, all the way down to the bottom of the garment, which would reach Bethany's toes. Short and ridiculously puffy sleeves sat prominently at the shoulders of the silk. It looked like the sort of thing that a little girl playing princess would wear. Bethany's jaw fell open and she could only let out a little cracking sound from somewhere in her throat, her skin blanching significantly. The very idea of Leliana seeing her in the hideous thing made her want to throw a fireball at the disturbing stitching of cloth before hiding under her blankets.

Mother nearly bounced with excitement as she held up the atrocity. A stifled snort of laughter echoed from Carver's bunk, and he quickly evacuated the room, mumbling something about getting cleaned up a bit, before he slammed the door behind himself. "Umm, Mother? Are you sure that's not a little…uh, beneath my age?"

Offense flashed across her Mother's features and she looked at the dress, seemingly not seeing the sheer absurdity of the garment. Her eyes raked slowly over the cloth multiple times. "What is wrong with it? I think its darling!"

The mage fought the urge to rest her face in her palm. Keeping her voice as gentle as possible, the mage chose her next words carefully in an attempt to spare her mother's feelings, despite the fact that there was no way to sugarcoat her opinion on the dress. "Mother…not to be frank or to hurt you…but it looks like something a little girl playing dress up would wear."

Mother gave an offended gasp, color blossoming on her cheeks as her eyes shot wide. "Bethany! This is a gorgeous dress! Like something royalty would wear! Ruffles were all the rage in Orlais for awhile! Give it a chance!"

Looking hard at the dress, Bethany tried to imagine the only Orlesian that she knew in the garment. Without even realizing it, her features twisted with disdain. Not even Leliana could pull off that dress…and as far as Bethany was concerned, Leliana could pull off a paper sack. "Umm…I'll think about it Mother. Please, allow me to wash up and get dressed."

Laying the dress carefully at the foot of Bethany's bed, her Mother fixed her with a determined stare before slipping quietly out of the room. The mage sighed and fell back on her pillow, letting her foot knock the hideous thing to the wooden floor. "Oops." Her voice lacked any true apology.

…

The pew gave a groaning creak that escalated in volume as each member of the Hawke family took a set upon it. There were quite a few more people than usual attending the service today, some faces matching those who frequented the tavern; apparently the Sisters' words had not fallen on completely deaf ears.

Bethany looked about at the newcomers, her eyes skimming over a rather intimidating woman with flame orange hair and piercing green eyes sitting with a stoic looking Templar. The Templar came here regularly, but this woman was a new sight in the Chantry, despite Bethany having seen her around town a few times. Sharp green eyes snapped up, boring into Bethany's; her Templar's following suit. The mage gave a polite nod and quickly snapped her head back to look at the altar at the front of the Chantry, the stares of the Templar and his wife unsettling her greatly.

The mage still felt eyes on her, but this intense stare burned into her skin from the left. Bethany looked past Carver and Marian to just in time to catch her Mother dropping her glare and looking away quickly as if she hadn't been looking at her daughter with disapproval. Knowing exactly where the hostility came from, Bethany sighed heavily and leaned back against the pew, looking down at her outfit.

She had refused to wear the dress, as any self-respecting woman with eyes would've; opting instead for simple black pants, her knee high brown boots, and a short sleeved white tunic. Completing the outfit was her red bandanna that was constantly kept tied at her throat. The simple red cloth had been her father's, and she had grown greatly attached to it since his passing; he was the only one who understood her predisposition of magic, as he shared it. Absentmindedly thumbing at the worn cloth, her light chocolate eyes skimmed towards the altar again as Sisters began to file in front of it, positioning themselves to make two rows.

Leliana's warm red hair made her unmistakable and prominent next to the other Sisters. She held a lute in her graceful hands and took a posting to the far left of the row of Sisters, closest to Bethany; another woman with a lute took up her posting to the far right of the rows. Warm sapphires met liquid chocolate and Bethany felt that familiar feeling of her insides warming and her heart kicking into gear. Leliana gave the mage a warm smile, almost a smirk, her eyes welcoming and holding a slight mischievousness.

Long fingers dancing gracefully across the strings, Leliana began strumming the lute, the other sister barely managing to keep up with the redhead. As one, the Sisters began to sing a verse from the Chant of Light, but the rest of the women were unnecessary noise to the mage. Her ears could focus only on that accented, lilting, musical voice, sweeter than any music Bethany had ever heard.

Feeling an elbow dig into her side, Bethany looked over at Marian, meeting bright blue eyes that held mischief as they flicked between the mage and the Orlesian, her lips smirking widely. "Bethany, is it just me, or is Sister Leliana devouring you with her eyes? You were out very late with her last night." Bethany's sibling arched an eyebrow suggestively; Marian didn't have to conclude the sentence to communicate what she thought that Bethany had been doing with Leliana. Her words irritated the mage slightly. Bethany had already had this conversation once today, and once was enough for her; Carver and Marian had such similar thoughts sometimes.

Blushing deeply, the mage flicked her gaze back to the redhead, finding the Orlesian smiling as she continued singing, her brilliant sapphires locked onto Bethany's with a strange mixture of mischief and something Bethany couldn't quite place. Feigning ignorance, Bethany focused on the Orlesian's fingers, dancing across the strings, so that she wouldn't have to look at the Sister or Marian. "We just spoke. I don't see what has you and Carver so interested. And I don't see what you mean; she's just…looking around. She's not even looking at me."

The eldest Hawke sibling scoffed slightly, but when she looked away from Bethany and back to the Orlesian, her brilliant eyes were skimming the worshippers blankly. Finally daring to look back up at the Sister's face, Bethany found that Leliana had dropped her quite obvious stare and was looking about the room, as if she had heard the exchange that had just passed between Marian and Bethany and averted her gaze on purpose. Marian lost interest with a sigh when she noted that Leliana had looked away innocently, the Orlesian's sapphires taking to looking about at the villagers gathered in the pews.

As soon as Marian averted her eyes, Leliana focused on Bethany again and winked just as the song ended, grinning widely before filing away with the rest of the Sisters.

The Revered Mother took their place in front of the altar and began saying something about praising Blessed Andraste, but the words were lost on the mage; her mind was far away, lost in thoughts of the Orlesian and brimming with anticipation for the next time that she would speak to the redhead.


	3. Meet Me In The Pale Moonlight

**_Note: I would like to apologize for the delay on this chapter. Life happened, and it was not great. Fortunately, updates should be quicker as long as my inspiration stays. Thanks for sticking with me!_**

Rushing away from the Chantry as if it was on fire, the mage's legs felt as though they were made from jelly. She had wanted to wait for Leliana, so they could chat like they normally did after a service, but the smirks and comments from Marian and Carver proved to make the mage blush so deeply that she couldn't bear the thought of seeing the Orlesian just yet. It was almost as if they could tell that something had shifted between the mage and the Sister last night; a new sensation of tension being revealed so quickly, as if a curtain had been pulled aside and suddenly sunlight was pouring in and blinding the mage with its intensity.

Leliana had always been playful and joking, and would occasionally make comments about how she loved Bethany's hair or the way she dressed, but something in her demeanor shifted last night. Her normally playful and kind sapphires were suddenly hungry and mischievous in a way that the young mage couldn't understand, but excited her nonetheless. Bethany had liked the Orlesian from the moment they locked eyes, but suddenly everything was intensifying; all of her emotions and desires were deepening, and the mage found herself looking at the Sister in ways she hadn't looked at anyone before.

It was like her eyes were an even more brilliant sapphire that pierced through the mage's very soul. Suddenly her hair was more beautiful than a million rubies, thousands of strands of ruby colored silk that she wanted to let run through her fingers; her skin creamy pale and smooth and inviting, too much of it hidden and begging to be caressed, but trapped under a holy robe that hid the Orlesian's figure from curious eyes.

The mage felt herself blush deeply at her own thoughts. A feeling of guilt pulled at her from somewhere within, as she caught her train of thought reeling towards fantasizing. Realizing that she had been biting her lower lip hard enough to make it tingle with numbness, Bethany released it with a sigh and turned onto her side, pulling her blankets more tightly around her body. She clenched her fists in the fabric, ignoring the strange feeling of warmth that had gathered in her lower belly and pubis. The mage struggled to pull her thoughts back to the less exciting events of the day.

The rest of the day had passed in a hazy blur, and Bethany had felt as if she was on auto-pilot as she meandered about Lothering with Marian, performing the errands that Mother had sent them out on. She spoke only when completely necessary, mostly nodding her way through whatever conversation her family attempted to initiate with her. Her mind was miles away, thinking about last night and how close she had come to kissing Leliana. What if she had? What would have ensued?

The mage's mind grew hazy as she began dwelling on Leliana again and she began to feel her eyelids drift shut, Carver's thunderous snoring surprisingly not bothering her. The lure of the Fade danced just beyond her eyelids, and as she began to slip into unconsciousness, three sharp raps on her window shutter caused her to bolt upright in her bed. She stared intensely at the wooden shutters for a few seconds, wondering if she had imagined the rapping.

About thirty seconds passed, and there was the rapping again; three sharp taps, thin knuckles tapping quickly against the aging wood. _That has to be Carver's girlfriend. Does she really want him to sneak out at this hour? _Irritation rose in the mage, and she shoved her blankets aside and climbed out of her bed as quietly as she could. Bethany padded quietly across the floor and to the shuttered window, a loose floorboard creaking underfoot despite her light footfalls. She winced slightly, but Carver's snoring did not falter.

Hauling the window up, she quickly unlatched the shutters and pushed them open, careful to keep them from banging against the house and waking her family. She poked her head out the window, ready to give the young girl an earful, but to her shock, the blonde girl that Carver fooled around with was not there; standing there in the moonlight clutching a basket was a pale girl with unmistakably beautiful red hair, made almost ethereal by the glow of the moon. She smiled widely, her deep sapphire eyes captivating the mage.

Feeling her cheeks flush with heat, Bethany stammered for something to say to the Sister. "L-Leliana? What are you doing here? At this hour, I mean. Did you need something? Or…something?" Realizing she was babbling, the mage clenched her jaw shut, her skin flushing an even deeper shade of crimson. Her grip on the shutter tightened nervously, her palm sweating against the wood. Her previous thoughts about the Sister resurfaced, and she felt as if her face was on fire.

Leliana gave a small giggle, the sound of it musical and playful. "I suppose I do need something. Your company, if you would like to follow me down to the river?"

The mage was taken by surprise. She was hesitant about sneaking out after her mother's reaction to how late she had stayed out the previous night, but the idea of sneaking out with Leliana proved too tempting…and terrifying. What if she slipped up and said something stupid? Or couldn't think of anything to say?

But the idea of sneaking out with this woman was just too intoxicating. Bethany gripped at the shutter again, looking hesitantly over her shoulder at the snoring bear that was her brother. He was definitely out…Carver was quite the heavy sleeper. "Umm…well. I guess I could go with you. I'll just have to get my boots."

"Excellent!" Leliana responded, her sapphires flashing in the moonlight and her ruby lips spreading into a grin.

…

_This is crazy. This is crazy. Are you stupid? What if Carver wakes up? What if Mother pokes her head in to check on me? _

The mage and the Sister had made their way down to the river, the water moving along at a peacefully slow pace, just enough to make a quiet rushing sound as it gently brushed against the shore. Leliana had opened the basket that she had brought with her to pull out a worn blanket and spread it out on the dirt near the shore.

Seating herself next to her best friend, Bethany stared out at the water nervously. Her mind screamed at her to say something, but her lips stayed shut. Suddenly, Leliana began speaking and the mage breathed an inner sigh of relief. "Your mother did not seem very happy to be at the service today; she was giving you some intense glares. Did that have something to do with last night?" The Sister looked over at her, a crimson eyebrow arched curiously.

Bethany gave a short laugh as the image of the horrific dress refreshed itself in her memory. "Oh no, she got over that rather quickly, surprisingly. She bought me this horrific dress; it was actually a rather beautiful silk and a gorgeous shade of blue, but it had these big puffy sleeves, and ruffles all down it. It was like a little girl's dress up princess gown. She was convinced you would like it because ruffles were popular in Orlais for a while," the mage paused, a look of mock horror crossing her face as she looked over at the Orlesian, "please tell me that is not true."

A rich laugh came from the Sister and she brought a hand to her face. "Oh Maker…they were. They were absolutely dreadful! All of the noblewomen absolutely had to have one, so for a while many of the girls walked around looking ridiculously poofy. When it comes to royalty in Orlais, everything is a competition, and bigger is better. So the ruffles just got bigger and bigger, and thank the Maker, that phase went out rather quickly."

Bethany looked at the Orlesian in wide-eyed mock horror, "Please don't tell me that you ever wore a dress covered in ruffles."

Leliana giggled and covered her face with both hands in a dramatic display of shame. "I did…once! I never wore it again, despite the craze. When others asked what I did with it, I told them it was stolen. In reality, I had stuffed it in the fireplace and set it ablaze; watching that awful thing burn was far more satisfying than wearing it!"

The duo burst out in laughter at the same time, the unique tones of their voices dancing together in the wind. Bethany leaned back on her palms as their laughter died down, smiling and looking at the moonlight shining on the water of the slow moving river. "This is nice. Sitting by the river, just relaxing; with you," Bethany felt herself blush slightly, and she smiled a bit wider as she looked over at Leliana.

The Orlesian returned the smile, her eyes bright with happiness. "I agree. It's been a long time since I've been able to be myself and relax," she paused, her edges of her lips falling, "I cannot talk about much with the other Sisters. They always wish to know why I would leave Orlais, such a wonderful place. Was I royalty? What did I do? Am I running from something? Or someone?"

Bethany frowned and looked at her best friend's hypnotizing eyes, seeing a sudden anger there. Without thinking, she placed her hand over Leliana's comfortingly. "We all have things we would rather keep to ourselves."

Leliana looked down at the mage's hand covering her own, before her sapphire eyes flicked up to meet Bethany's of light chocolate. The mage felt her cheeks flush, and she could've sworn that Leliana's did as well, almost unnoticeably. Brilliantly blue eyes flicked down quickly to watch as she turned over the mage's hand and lightly traced a fingertip around a small burn on her palm, they flicked back up as the owner of the eyes spoke huskily. "Yes; we all have our secrets." Her fingertip did another circle around the sensitive flesh, and it made the mage's breath catch. A chill shot down her spine, but by some strange grace, she managed to contain the movement.

The Orlesian seemed to know that the mage's sudden pause of breath was not a pause of pain, and she smiled, allowing her palm to gently caress the mage's hand and run its way up her wrist. Feeling her own palm begin to sweat, Bethany blushed deeply, leaning towards the Sister without thinking. The mage barely had time to register that she was about to do what she had been fantasizing about, before an unwelcome voice reached her eardrums.

"Bethany? That you?" Bethany whipped her head around to see Carver approaching the duo, rubbing his eyes sleepily, his dark hair sticking up in every direction. The mage flushed a deep crimson, anger and embarrassment filling her cheeks with color.

She hesitantly pulled her hand away from the Sister, the blush refusing to leave her cheeks. Leliana grinned, giving the mage a mischievous look; but Bethany forced herself to keep her eyes on her brother. She did not dare look at the Sister. "What do you want Carver?" She kept her voice even, trying not to sound suspicious or embarrassed.

Her brother's eyes snapped between the mage and the Sister several times before his mouth turned up in a smirk. "I just happened to wake up and note that you were gone and the window was open, sister. But surely you were not sneaking out for any questionable activities, right?"

Bethany coughed nervously, wiping her sweating palms on her shirt while she withered under the mischievous smirk of Leliana, and the knowing look of her brother. "Carver, what are you even talking about? I was just about to be on my way home, actually. Leliana and I spoke about…" Maker, what in the Void were they talking about? The mage's mind drew a blank; everything before the Sister's husky voice and caress was a hazy blur in the raven haired girl's lusty mind.

"The dresses in Orlais; I told Bethany of how ruffles did indeed have a phase, and how I did indeed set my own ruffled dress ablaze for how atrocious it was," Leliana had fixed an innocent gaze on Carver, saving the mage from her silence.

Bethany gave a quiet nervous chuckle. "Oh yes, even Leliana was not safe from the ruffles."

Carver rolled his eyes at his sister and crossed his arms over his chest. "Wow, interesting. Why don't we get back home before Mother wakes up and sets us ablaze with the power of her nagging?"

Awkwardly clambering to her feet, Bethany continued to blush deeply. "Yes…I suppose I should be heading back to my bed. Mother will be so worried if she wakes up. Goodnight Sister Leliana."

The Sister stood fluidly, smoothing out wrinkles on her Chantry robe. She fixed the mage with a grin, and hugged her closely without hesitation. "Sweet dreams, Bethany Hawke; I await our next meeting." She pulled away from the embrace slowly, trailing her hands down the mage's arms as she pulled away. The Orlesian turned with a grin to fold her blanket into her basket, leaving the Fereldan reeling from the contact.

…

"So what was that about?" Carver's voice drifted up from his bunk; Bethany could tell he was smirking without even seeing him in the darkness.

The mage sighed deeply, rubbing her palms into her eyes in frustration. Between the frustration of Carver interrupting she and Leliana, and his incessant questioning, the raven haired young woman felt as though she was about to snap his head off. "She wished for me to join her by the river, Carver; nothing more."

Her brother snorted a chuckle. "Yes I saw that; but why were you so close? I could've sworn that she was touching your hand as well."

Flushing deeply, the mage glared into the darkness of her shared room. Failing to come up with an excuse or explanation, she simply sighed.

"Bethany, I do believe that Sister Leliana is attracted to you. Between undressing you with her eyes during service today and this midnight hand-holding, she definitely wants to praise you, not the Maker."

Bethany flushed an even darker shade of crimson and praised that her brother could not see her face. She turned on her side and pulled her pillow closer. "Carver please, do not say such things. They are foolish and disrespectful. Leliana is interested in my friendship and nothing more; now…goodnight."

The mage heard her twin stirring in his bunk beneath her own, "If you say so, Bethany. But when you _really _get that Sister praising the Maker, you'll know I was right."

"Maker!" The mage gripped her pillow and threw it hard at her brother, smacking him square in the face. He laughed hysterically as she beat him with her pillow, cursing him the whole time.


	4. Dark Desires

_**Note: I'm terribly sorry for the delay on this chapter. Hopefully you all have stuck with me through this hiatus. Responsibilities really suck and tend to take up a lot of time. All of that aside, I hope you enjoy the new chapter, albeit a bit short. More to come, this is not the end!**_

The mud seemed to pull the mage's boots in even deeper, despite her nearly frantic attempts to continue sloshing forward. Her attention was brought back up by two pops, one after another and somehow louder than the previous few.

Pale hands traced over a smooth and creamy colored upper chest, a slight amount of cleavage peeking out of the Sister's robe. "I know what you want; come and get it." Her voice was somehow even huskier than before, her sapphire eyes narrowed slightly and promising the things of fantasies.

That was all the motivation Bethany needed. With a sudden burst of strength, the Fereldan's boots pulled free of the thick, nearly gelatinous mud with a loud sucking sound. She stumbled forward, panting slightly, just as Leliana began backing up, throwing open the doors of the Chantry as she did so. Her eyes were a shockingly bright sapphire, almost unnatural, but as she backed into the building, they became a swirling bevy of colors; most notably a dark violet and pure onyx. It was like the sapphire color that hadn't been quite right from the minute Bethany laid her eyes on it was suddenly fading and showing what was truly beneath the façade.

The mage froze, her eyes narrowing in suspicion and her blood running cold. Something was wrong…seriously wrong.

The thing that looked like Leliana ran her hands lower on a chest that was a fake machination of this sick version of Lothering, cupping breasts that were solely for temptation. "Come to me, Bethany, I'll give you everything you ever wanted," she bit her full lower lip, rubbing her breasts as she seated herself on a pew.

Bethany moved forward slowly, the creature's eyes following her swaying hips. "Leliana, you wish for me to have you here, in the Chantry? Surely this is a sin." She was toying with this demon, wanting it to truly believe she was blind enough to fall for it. The mage treaded carefully; this was life and death she was toying with.

The Leliana thing made a throaty sound in its throat, running its hands down curvaceous sides to finally rest at the bottom of the robe, pulling it up slowly and exposing long, perfect legs. The demon spread its legs wide, giving the mage a view of its black, silky underwear. It smiled a shockingly white smile with its perfect teeth, "You can have me whatever way you like."

Bethany swallowed hard, feeling that pulsing heat spreading through her lower belly and at the apex of her thighs. She couldn't take her eyes away from the Leliana thing; she knew it was fake, a machination of the Fade, but the demon was so convincing and absolutely delicious. Playing along a little more couldn't hurt.

The mage crept a little closer, and the next thing she knew, the demon had somehow gotten her to sit on the pew beside it, and now it was straddling her. Her cocoa eyes were wide with arousal and temptation, running over the Leliana thing's skin as if it were actually the Sister's. It's nearly exposed breasts were so close to her face, she couldn't take it. A black silky bra peeked out from the Chantry robe.

"Sweet Maker…" The mage gasped out, Her hands rubbing the demon's curvy hips, her own hips arching into the demon slightly. At her words, the creature's entire façade flickered, showing its true form, albeit only for a second.

The Fereldan suddenly felt the demon's spell fading, and she pulled her mind back into reality; she had almost made it too easy for the disgusting demon. The mage locked eyes with the sinister creature, and began reciting the Chant of Light as loudly as she could.

Its façade of Leliana melted away quickly, smooth pale skin replaced with a violet, beautiful sapphire eyes burned away to show black scleras and violet irises, ruby hair was replaced by black horns and purple flame. Even the fake, Fade produced version of Leliana's unique scent fell away, replaced by the combined smells of fire, smoke, and metal.

The mage nearly gagged as the demon howled in pain so close to her ears, the sick smells of the demon blowing in her face. The desire demon pinned the mage's arms to the pew, its voice low and dangerous. "Your words cannot protect you forever. Deep inside, you know that if you give yourself to me, you can have that Sister as your own. You can taste her sweet lips, trail your tongue down her breasts and stomach…" The demon was now husking in her ear, its breath warm and distracting, but even more distracting was its tongue trailing along the mage's earlobe.

Calling on her mana, the mage formed a solid ice spike in her left hand, and pointed it directly at the distracted demon's head. Bethany shot the ice forth with as much strength and mana as she could eke out, and the projectile shot cleanly into the creature's head, the tip of the spike sticking out between her shocked violet and black eyes. The desire demon slumped backwards, falling onto the floor with a solid thump.

As the demon fell, the Fade fell roughly away from the mage, taking its fabricated sights and smells with it.

…

Hands; there were hands gripping her shoulders so tight it hurt. As consciousness filled the mage, she was acutely aware of this. She was being shaken, and someone was yelling. Feeling disconnected from reality, she struggled to say something, anything. She had never felt like this before; had she denied the demon too late?

There was a thick coppery taste in her mouth, and she realized that she must've bitten her tongue at some point. She grit her teeth, some of the crimson fluid leaking out of the corner of her mouth as she choked the rest of it down, giving wet coughs.

The hands suddenly released her, letting her head fall back onto her pillow with a muffled thump. She slowly wrenched her eyes open, feeling groggy and hazy as her gaze drifted over to the person that had been violently shaking her awake.

Carver stood near the open closet, where his sword usually sat securely on a stand in the back corner. The stand had been dragged out, and was now empty, the silver blade pointing threateningly at the mage. His arms shook violently as he held the sword in both hands, tears streaming from his eyes. "Sister…is that you?"

The raven haired girl went bolt upright in her bed, all grogginess gone. Her back pressed against the wooden wall beside her bed as she raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Carver, oh sweet Maker put that thing away! It's me!"

The young man looked absolutely terrified, and he did not lower the weapon. "Prove it."

The mage's mind was reeling. "Umm…my name is Bethany Hawke. I live in Lothering in Ferelden. Our sister is Marian…" she trailed off nervously, afraid that her brother would kill her in his state of terror. What the hell had she done? Without thinking, she bowed her head in prayer and began reciting the Chant of Light as quickly as she could.

Carver's chest broke with a gasp and he hung the sword up with a shaking hand. He rushed over to his sister, standing on his own bed to reach her bunk and hug her. "Sweet Maker, Bethany; I thought…that you…" He sounded on the verge of tears, his voice cracking. Bethany's chest tightened; Carver had not cried since he was a child.

She pulled away from the hug gently, holding her brother at arm's length to look at him. His light brown eyes were watering profusely, tears brimming just under the surface, making his eyes look glassy and red. "Brother, what in the void happened?"

Carver wiped at his eyes, shrugging out of her grip to rest his arms on the edge of her bed. "You were thrashing like you sometimes do, but…you were speaking nonsense. I couldn't make out what you were saying, but it was low and fast and your voice just sounded so…off. So I got up to look up at you, I called your name, I shook you, nothing helped. You kept thrashing and muttering, so I tried to open your eyes, and…they weren't yours. They were like…purple. Scared the life right out of me, I thought they had gotten you Sister…" His voice cracked slightly with emotion, his eyes watering up again.

Bethany felt like she had been punched in the chest. She had merely toyed with the demon, right? Maybe she was giving in, a bit; fear and shame washed over her chest. Father had taught her against all of that; she knew that stronger mages than her had thought they were toying with demons, and then they were being put down like rabid dogs. "I'm sorry Carver. I was careless; I overestimated myself."

The dark haired boy sniffed loudly and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand that had been brandishing a sword just moments ago. "Damn straight you did. I thought I was going to have to…Maker. How could you be so foolish?" His tone was suddenly sharp, scolding. His puffy wet eyes locked with Bethany's and she felt guilt and a small spike of anger in her stomach.

She had to admit that she had been a fool, but the vision had been so damn realistic, so tempting. The mage hated when her brother took that scolding tone to her, as if she was his much younger sister and not his twin, his equal. "Carver I apologize, it will not happen again. Can we keep this between us?"

Carver sighed slightly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Yes; but only because I do not want to hear Mother's mouth and I'm pretty sure you don't either. Let's just go back to sleep…and stay the void away from temptations."

He fell into his bunk without another word and a tense silence fell over the room. Fifteen minutes passed and the boy was giving his rumbling snore; Bethany's eyes stayed glued to the ceiling.

…

Chocolate eyes stared blankly past the array of fruits and veggies in front of them. She needed apples, nothing more. Bethany stared past the fruits, making out the reds and greens of the aforementioned fruit and carelessly filling the worn brown sack with them.

Sleep had been unattainable after last night's encounter with the Leliana-thing, and the mage was running on auto-pilot. Mother frowned upon sleeping in, probably because the woman was always up so early, so catching up on any sleep today was out of the question. The mage was slightly scared to sleep anyway; the demons were getting more and more clever, exploiting her weaknesses and prying at the chinks in her armor.

A red apple met her fingertips, a tiny hole in the crimson skin catching her eye. She stared blankly at the blemish for a moment before moving her hand to stuff the apple into the bag. As her arm descended, a pale hand caught her wrist. "You wouldn't want a rotten apple to spoil the bunch, no?"

The mage gasped as she was drawn out of her daze, looking at the owner of the hand. Ruby lips with matching hair, and a shocking smile; Leliana. She drew her hand back to put it on the handle of a familiar basket. Bethany gave a nervous chuckle, blushing and looking down at the apple to see a small pink worm poking out of the hole in that red skin; she let the fruit fall to the ground. Bethany could barely look at the Sister, seeing only horns and exposed pale skin; a shiver visibly shot down her spine.

The Orlesian looked at her in concern, noticing the bags under her eyes and her flushed cheeks; she grasped the mage's shoulder with a soothing hand. "Bethany, are you feeling alright? You don't look very well."

The mage cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks flush an even deeper shade of crimson at the touch. Part of her wanted to spill her guts then and there; tell Leliana about the demon and how close she had come to becoming an abomination. Self-preservation was superior to shame however, and she knew that she did not want to tell the Sister that she had been having a sensual dream about her, no matter the demons that were involved. "I am not, actually. I got very little sleep last night, you know?" She looked at the Sister's bright blue eyes, trying to wordlessly communicate that it was not a matter to be discussed in public.

The Orlesian nodded in grim acknowledgement. "Ah, but of course. You wouldn't happen to have plans later, would you?"

_Oh no, none. Probably just sit at home with my mother, reading and making light chatter while my siblings go out and live; I need a life. _The mage sighed internally at her lack of plans, but she jumped at the chance to make them with this stunning Orlesian, no matter what demons tempted her. "I have none, actually. Did you have something in mind?" Her voice curved up slightly in hope as she arched a brow at the redhead.

Leliana fiddled slightly with the lid of her basket and smiled. "Well, it just so happens that I am also lacking plans; perhaps you would like to join me by the river again? I quite enjoyed your company the other night."

"Of course! You can knock on my window again, if you like?" _Maker, did that sound too eager? _

Leliana hummed in thought for a moment, those sapphire orbs searching the sky. "I suppose that could work, but what of your brother? Will he be worried?"

Oh…Carver. The mage didn't even want to think of him right now; they had not spoken a word since last night. "Things are tense between him and I at the moment…perhaps I can tell you about it tonight?"

The Orlesian smiled that stunning smile that rivaled the beauty of the rising sun. "But of course! I shall stop by tonight, but now I must gather some things for us to snack on," she said with a smile, patting the basket.

…

The day couldn't have dragged by any more painstakingly slowly. Bethany finished Mother's errands with a bit of an added spring in her step after seeing her favorite Orlesian, and even was humming lowly to herself as she returned home. She helped her aging mother put away the groceries, making idle lighthearted chat as they went about the task.

After that chore was completed, the mage found herself with little to do, and it made her restless. She read for a bit, swept the floor, fed Zoran, and even carried the buckets of water so she could take a bath. The sun seemed to be taking its sweet time, taunting her every time she looked out the window and still saw the fiery ball hanging in the sky.

As the sun set, Carver was the first to leave to see his friends, Marian following shortly after. Normally their disappearances depressed the mage, but this time she gladly bid them farewell; the less people around to see her sneak out, the better.

Hours passed and Bethany kept one eye glued to her window, and the other skimming through the spell book that Father had left her. Eventually, Mother swept in to say her goodnights, "Early to bed, early to rise!"

After a few moments of silence, exhaustion slowly crept its way into the mage's bones, and she resolved to lay the book on her pillow and close her eyes for a moment.

The Fade pulled at her mind, and she rubbed the balls of her wrists into her eyes to keep herself awake. Where was the Orlesian? She sighed and looked helplessly at the shutters of the window; as if on cue, came the sharp rapping of thin knuckles on the old wood.

The mage shot out of her bed as if propelled by a bow, wrenching open the shutters all too eagerly. Liquid sapphires and melted chocolate met and lips parted for wide grins mirroring one another.

Bethany began speaking without thinking, her worries dissipated at the very sight of the breathtaking Orlesian. "Thank the Maker you're here, I didn't think you were coming."

Leliana smirked, her teeth white and perfect against her pale skin. "Why wouldn't I?"

Her sapphire eyes were dangerous in the pale moonlight, something lurking in them that Bethany couldn't quite place, but the look that the Orlesian gave her made a chill shoot down her spine. The nightmare from earlier flashed briefly through her mind, but she knew this wasn't some poor Fade creation to tempt her into damnation. This was truly Leliana, in the flesh, giving her a wicked grin and daring her to do Maker knows what with those impossibly breathtaking eyes of azure.

The mage unconsciously grazed at her own lower lip with her teeth before she climbed eagerly out of her window and into the night, Leliana's giggles dancing in the cool breeze welcoming her.


End file.
